Bowen guest speaker for Marian Ross LectureshipDr. Robin E. Bowen, president of Arkansas Tech University, was chosen as the speaker for the Marian Ross Lectureship at the Arkansas Occupational Therapy Association fall 2016 conference hosted by the University of Central Arkansas. Bowen spoke in the Ida Waldran Auditorium at UCA's Old Main in Conway. The lectureship is named for the founding chair of the UCA Department of Occupational Therapy and the first African American to serve as a chai...

Hector SD hosts report to the publicHector school Superintendent Mark Taylor presented the district's state mandated "report to the public" Oct. 10. In this case, "the public" consisted of five school board members, one school principal, one teacher, one school office worker and one newspaper reporter. Taylor presented a positive change in the district's enrollment of 26, from 579 for last year to a present total of 605. He said if the new total hold through the three quarters u...

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BY STEVE LEAVELL
sleavell@cswnet.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

ATU celebrates grant for food pantryArkansas Tech University hosted a reception last Wednesday at the Doc Bryan Student Services Center recognizing Tyson Foods, Inc., for a $67,760 grant that will allow Tech to fight hunger within its own population. The grant will assist in the creation of the Green and Gold Cupboard. The new pantry will provide access to meals for Arkansas Tech students, faculty members and staff members facing food insecurity, which is defined as lacking reli...

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BY Sam Strasner
FOR THE COURIERThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Molly Jackson wins awardThe Pottsville Junior High Band travelled to Cabot High School Saturday to compete in the Cabot Invitational Marching Competition. The band received awards for Outstanding Soloists (Sami Oberhauser and Dominick Deaton), Outstanding Drum Major (Molly Jackson) and Outstanding band in Class A. The band received a divisional rating of 2 (Excellent), with the percussion section receiving a divisional rating of 1 (Superior).

Bowen receives President's Award from LULAC Council 750The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 750 in Little Rock honored Arkansas Tech University President Dr. Robin E. Bowen on Friday, Sept. 30, for her support of educational opportunities for Latino students. Among the initiatives ATU has enacted to serve underrepresented populations since Bowen took office in 2014 is the establishment of a Department of Diversity and Inclusion within the Office of Student Services. In addi...

Air Force Airman graduationU.S. Air Force Airman Markise D. Daniels graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the ...

Lamar Elementary announces Students of the WeekTHE COURIER / Submitted Lamar Elementary first grade Students of the Week for August and September are (from left): Front -- Courtney Easterling, Mckenzie Dewberry, Aylin Rodriquiz and Phoenix Sanders; back -- Carsten Nordin, Carter Jones, Kasen Humphrey, Kaden Gunnip and Karsten Schluterman; not pictured -- Jeslyne Pineda. THE COURIER / Submitted Lamar Elementary second grade Students of the Week for August and September are (from left): Fron...

The Great Sequoyah CampoutTHE COURIER / Submitted The Great Sequoyah Campout Sequoyah hosted the Great Sequoyah Campout on Tuesday, Sept 27. Approximately 400 students, parents and other family members were in attendance. Students were treated to s'mores, art projects, a read aloud along with a bear hunt, and live music performed by Stacey Willcutt and the Branded by Grace Band. Students also learned about camping safety from Robert Duggan who is the Recreation Program...

Ghostly Galla Night slated for PottsvillePOTTSVILLE — The Pottsville Junior High School (PJHS) History Club, along with a few EAST students, will present the annual Ghostly Galla Night at the Potts Inn Museum. Tina Taylor, an eighth-grade history teacher at Pottsville, said the night’s events will include lantern-guided tours through the Potts Inn Museum, ghost stories and a bonfire with hot dog and s’more roast. There will be 12 ghost story stations set up throughout the house (whic...

Dardanelle slated to get safe roomDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle School Board met on Sept. 22 and hired a construction manager for a safe room at the high school campus. Superintendent John Thompson said the board looked at qualifications of potential general managers and general contractors. After consideration they chose Van Horn Construction Inc. in Russellville. According to Thompson, Pope County was able to build a few safe rooms through money allotted because of a tornado t...

Dover School Board approves budgets, meets deadlineThe Dover School Board met in special called session last Tuesday to approve the district's 2015-16 financial report and 2016-17 budget. A special meeting was necessary because state law requires the budget's approval by Oct. 1 and the final figures were not complete at the board's regular September meeting, which had been held earlier than usual to avoid scheduling conflicts. Superintendent Jerry Owens presented the board with a summary state...

$10 million gift establishes scholarship programCLARKSVILLE -- University of the Ozarks has announced a $10 million gift from the Walton Family Foundation establishing an endowed scholarship program to assist promising students from low and middle income families. President Richard L. Dunsworth announced the new Frontier Scholarship Program to the campus community in the University's Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel on Monday morning. "There has been much written and discussed about the escala...

University of Central Arkansas announces local graduatesCONWAY -- The University of Central Arkansas held Summer Commencement on Aug. 5 in the Jeff Farris Health and Physical Education Center on the campus. University administration conferred 290 undergraduate and 254 graduate degrees. The names and hometowns of the students in the area are: Steven Gebhardt of Russellville as a Doctor of Physical Therapy,Taylor Magness of Russellville with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Johnathan Marasco of Ru...

ABB donates over $20,000 of equipment to Tech Ozark campusWorking with their Clarksville district office, ABB donated five programmable logic controllers (PLCs), collectively valued at $20,780, to Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus to assist with several programs that bridge skill gaps in the Arkansas River Valley. "I get a request every couple weeks from a local industry that is in need of some sort of PLC training and there is a shortage of workers with those skills," Justin Smith, Chief Busines...

University of Arkansas Community College schedules its 10th annual pageantMORRILTON -- The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton SkillsUSA chapter will host the 10th annual UACCM Pageant on Saturday, Nov. 5. The pageant will begin at 10 a.m. in the college's Fine Arts Auditorium. The pageant is open to current UACCM students, as well as girls between the ages of birth and 17 years old, who may compete in seven additional categories. Those competing for the title of Miss UACCM will be judged on beauty...

UACCM announces Chancellors List and Academic Honors ListMORRILTON -- The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton announced the Chancellor's List and Academic Honors List of students for the summer 2016 semester. The Chancellor's List is made up of full-time students who completed at least 12 college-level credit hours with a 4.00 grade point average. Students named as Chancellor's Scholars in Pope County follow (in alphabetical order by city): Marisa Rodgers of Atkins and David Shaddo...

Storment is first recipient of the Dr. Lyman B. Harris scholarshipAmber Storment has been selected as the first recipient of the Dr. Lyman B. Harris Scholarship at Arkansas Tech University. A senior from Russellville, Storment is majoring in rehabilitation science at ATU. "This is the first scholarship I have ever received," Storment said. "I want to go into racial and social justice work. My ultimate goal is to teach people with disabilities how to advocate for themselves against sexism and racism." The sch...

Department of Emergency Management receives national accoladesThe Arkansas Tech University Department of Emergency Management has received national recognition for its excellence in the realm of online education at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Emergency Management Degree Program Guide (EMDPG), an online resource for individuals researching educational options in emergency management and homeland security, has ranked the online Master of Science degree in emergency management and homeland securi...